Yesterday I sorted the collaged collographs; today I have uploaded some drawings from the exhibition by Angela as they have been important in underpinning the project from the start.
Now the focus is on the new work. Art Allotments has developed so that there are more people taking part. I just have a few more photos to take as the last pieces of work arrive through the post and the results can be displayed.
This time there are nine of us (one dropped out as too busy). Everyone received from me an identical envelope of bits at the beginning of April. Each package included a figure from a ghost collagraph print & a failed print from saline sulphate etched plate. It was an early attempt when I pressed snowdrops into a soft ground but messed up the timings. Angela put in drawings – sketches that never made it to the final art work stage. Added to this were some pages from an altered book that was begun & abandoned, some pages from a fallen apart music manuscript, some text, assorted paper, hay & other bits. – See photo!
When looking back at the work in the exhibition and writing this it is evident that there were five streams that evolved during the project & were represented in the exhibitio.
Narratives, of which Icarus is an example.
Experimental work with print & collage combination.
Photographed collages.
Drawings that sparked ideas & also became combined in & on the collages.
The playful aspect demonstrated in the early work, the publicity & the workshops.
So I had to ask “Who is the figure that appeared?”
I decided fairly quickly that it was Icarus with contemporary interpretations. The possibility that people can fly like the birds to escape from difficulties has always been attractive even with the associated dangers.
The first images began together but were separated for the exhibition. Later Icarus appeared with hands in the air. He appeared quickly as a response to Angela’s cartoon drawings.
Later still he is hanging on to a ?sun ?a clock … ? to save himself.The phrase “Flying to close to the sun” become the title for this image & the work (the print) that I is still struggling to come into being.
I like to use myths & fairytales and Icarus could stand for both my low key anxiety & mistrust of my place in the art world and my moral & ethical concerns about the environment.
I have always held on closely to the notion that any art work I make is transient and so the practical ways we have explored in creating the collages have been liberating.
The act of cutting up old work, using material I have been given but have not chosen and then reworking and cutting up the first collages to make new collages is an exciting journey to new territory every time I begin.
It still amazes me that at some point in the process the real images to which am connected, and which I want to develop I as an artist start to come to consciousness in this process .
The exhibition is now down & stored for a while.
In reflecting on the work made there were themes & links which emerged. When viewed chronologically the early images were closely related to the gardening theme. We often found ourselves playing with language … growing, weeding, nurturing and companion planting … terminology that proved useful in helping develop the visual image. At other times shapes & colours or an odd word of text provided the starting point. Some envelopes sparked several varying approaches while others took ages for ideas to properly germinate. At times the collage images began human narratives. Who is this figure?
When fragments come together & become inspirational, ideas grow & new work is made. There are, however, definitely time, space and attitude weeds that get in the way and obscure the view and access to getting on with making.
Now the exhibition is up I notice maps and figures and a lightness of touch. There are themes but no big statements, a series of sight bites.
So far the exhibition is an airing of the collages over the past year presented on walls. It is still growing after the 50 plus people made small collages out of the seed packets. Some even came later by email – from visitors who took envelopes home with them. It has proved very popular and the good feedback continues. Over 30 children and parents added to this yesterday.
The plug on Radio Shropshire website and John Davall¹s programme helped – A big ‘Thank you’ to Genevieve Tudor who came to the launch & spread the word.
It is our turn now to review our work and decide what next. The work has fed into my work. My decision so far is to concentrate on making more landscape based mixed media work.
Back to the image of growing – growing new ideas from new collage materials. We have decided we must start anew as the old stuff is pretty well composted.
Angela
